


penumbra

by clxude



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, No Spoilers, SO MUCH FLUFF, and seconf, did I have time to write this? no, did I write it any way? yes, go watch it, if you didn't first of all, pre finals, unless you didn't see the end of season 2, why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 15:05:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8061127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clxude/pseuds/clxude
Summary: There's no reason for him to be worried, and yet, Satori is.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was listening to _inimate moments for a sensual evening_ while writing this so blame aziz ansari and the fact that I'm sick and sleep deprived for mischaracterization. pretty sure there's not. still gonna blame him in case there is tho
> 
> beta-ed by sarcasticspacenerd on tumblr, so thank rey for the lack of tense errors. blame aziz ansari for any others for the above reason

When Satori first heard what team Shiratorizawa would be playing in the prefecture finals, he was faced with a half second of confusion. It was barely a blip in the timeline, like the space between the edge of a manga panel and the edge of the page, but it was still there, in the back of his mind.

 

“Karasuno?” Taichi asked. “The team with the shorty wing spiker?” 

 

The coach nodded. From what little Satori had seen of Karasuno’s number ten, he was short like Coach Washjio. It was surprising, almost, that a team with a player that small in their starting lineup made it this far. Or, it would be, to everyone else in Miyagi, but Satori wasn’t like everyone else. He’d been to nationals time after time; he’d seen an infinite number of spikers wing that looked nothing like his ace. 

 

“So they beat Oikawa.” It should have been a question, but Semi Eita had never been one for questions. Questions imply room for error and a lack of knowledge, something Semi’s definitely- _ not _ -a-boy-toy-Tendou would jump onto without hesitation. “That’s almost surprising.”

 

“Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio should not be doubted.”

 

Satori perked up as soon as Ushijima began to speak. It was the first thing that Wakatoshi had said all day, because his quiet laugh while reading the advertisements in  _ Shounen Jump  _ that left Satori a flushed mess for the rest of the bus ride definitely Did Not Count. 

 

Semi’s face morphed into a strange half-smirk-half frown. He opened his mouth to comment, but Washjio spoke before he could. 

 

“Ushijima-kun is correct. It is unlikely Karasuno would have made it this far without its first years.”

 

Satori zoned out after that; it was the same speech Washjio gave before every game:  _ Do not doubt your opponent; do not allow them a single point. Crush them, or they will crush you.  _

 

…

 

Satori stayed in the locker room after the rest of the team left, listening to Ushijima talk about the succulent he bought at the plant nursery over the weekend. Satori doesn’t follow half of it - all of his botany knowledge comes from listening to the ace - but hearing Wakatoshi ramble on happily before a game was calming. 

 

Satori had no reason to be nervous - playing a no name school had no reason to be scary. But there’s another end to that, a two-edged sword: no named teams are unknown for a reason, but what we don’t know is often what bites us in the ass. 

 

“Are you worried?” Satori asked, interrupting Wakatoshi. The brunette looked up, brow furrowed. 

 

“Why?”

 

“No reason - it’s just, Karasuno. What do you know about them? They’ve gone to nationals once, but it’s been years. Their first years are exceptional, but how much experience can they really have at 15? We -  _ I  _ \- know nothing about them. I don’t know how to play against them.”

 

“You will figure it out.”

 

Satori held back a scoff. “How?”

 

“You’ll figure it out. Other teams...they call you the guess monster for a reason, correct? So, guess. I know you can figure it out.”

 

Things like this reminded Satori of how he fell in love with Ushijima Wakatoshi. 

 

…

 

Just before they walked through the doorway and onto the court, when they were still in the shadows of the bleachers and no one could see them, Wakatoshi reached out and took Satori’s hand in his. He squeezed it once, lightly, the pressure barely there. All Satori could feel from it was the heat coming off Ushijima’s skin, warm and reassuring. He clutched Wakatoshi’s hand as tightly as possible for a single second, and together, they walked onto the court. 


End file.
